Evansville, IN – On August 29, 2023, Prosecutor Diana Moers announces that Richard Zenon Bogacki, a habitual thief, was found guilty of three counts of Theft, all Level 6 Felonies, in a jury trial before Judge Robert J. Pigman of the Vanderburgh County
Superior Court.
In February of 2019, local business owners hired Richard Bogacki as their operations manager. Bogacki, who worked quickly to gain the trust of his employers, was fired from his role in August when the business owners noticed several financial discrepancies in the company. Just weeks prior to being terminated, Bogacki established an LLC with a similar name to the company he worked for and made his wife the registered agent. Richard Bogacki then opened a business banking account with the LLC’s name. After completing work on a customer’s home through his employer’s business, Richard Bogacki had the customer write the check to his new LLC. Bogacki then cashed the check into his own business banking account. Bogacki committed the same offense several times, having the customers write the check to his own LLC rather than his employer’s business. Bogacki would also pay personal expenses out of his employer’s business account.
At trial, Deputy Prosecutors Erik Bryant and John Bober presented bank records of the Defendant’s illegitimate business, bank records of the victims’ legitimate business, testimony from civilian homeowner witnesses who received services from the victim’s
business, and testimonies from the business owners and law enforcement. Previous
victims of Bogacki’s theft were observed in the audience. After the guilty verdict, Bogacki was
taken into custody.
Prosecutor Diana Moers thanked her Deputy Prosecutors, Victim Advocate Teresa Wilcox – who assisted these victims throughout the 4-year litigation, Morgan Richardville, Carla Moore, Tony Carden, Tiffany Lubbehusen, and Kennadi Hagan who all helped in the investigation and trial preparation. Moers also extended a thank you to Detective Aaron McCormick, Sergeant Bill Arbaugh, and Detective Nathan VanCleave for their roles in the investigation and trial process.
Prosecutor Diana Moers stated: “This is a reminder to the community that financial crimes will be investigated and prosecuted with every resource we have available. I have a background in prosecuting white-collar crimes and know first-hand the devastating impact financial loss can have on people’s lives- from small businesses to our banking institutions. Working hard to steal money from others thus robbing them of their own hard work, trust, and time is a deplorable act that will impact generations and should be treated as such. A community cannot thrive with these types of criminals among it.My office will not turn away from these intricate cases. We have the knowledge to investigate and prosecute financial theft cases to the fullest and we will leave no stone unturned. Deputy Prosecutor Erik Bryant stated: “Our hope now is that our victims find a sense of peace in knowing that this is behind them and their small business, which they love so dearly.”
Sentencing is scheduled for October 5, 2023, in front of Judge Robert J. Pigman of
the Vanderburgh County Superior Court. The Defendant could face upwards of 7 years.
